Dreams or Reality
by yaruna
Summary: Kenshin leaves Kaoru, thinking she'll be safer that way. What he doesn't know is that she leaves to find him, and goes through hell while doing so. COMPLETED
1. Trapped

Disclaimer: I don´t own any of these persons (except for the ugly men in the end *sweatdrop*) Please don´t sue. Haven´t got any money anyways.

~~~~~~~~~~

"talking"  
'thoughts, dreams'   
*actions(like sweatdrop)*   
~~new scene, anothers POV

~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1.

Trapped.****

  
~~~~~~~~~~   
  
            

'Looking up, a black ceiling,   
down, a black floor,   
looking left, a black wall,   
right, another black wall,   
a third black wall,   
and a fourth,   
  
no door, no window,   
no way out...   
Trapped.   
  
She looked at her hands,

 a sword, a bloodstained sword. Why...?   
  
She looked down again, 

a body, a motionless body. Why...?   
  
Closing her eyes, opening them, closing again, opening...   
The body´s still there.   
Is it real...?'   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~

   A loud scream was heard in the Kamiya Kasshin dojo.   
Kaoru sat up in her bed, shaking and breathing heavily, she looked around. The room was bright, the sun had just begun to rise so it wasn´t dark.   
  
She heard footsteps, meaning Kenshin was coming.   
He knocked on the door.   
  
   "Kaoru-dono, daijoubu de gozaru ka" he said and opened the door,   
looking at Kaoru with concern in his eyes. She was still shaking and thinking about the dream.   
'I would never hold a real sword, would I...?   
No...Never! Let alone I´d never, NEVER, kill someone, not _anyone_.   
It was just a dream, yes...only a dream.'   
  
"Kaoru-dono" Kenshin said again and snapped Kaoru out of her   
thoughts.   
"I´m, I´m fine" she said "I just had a nightmare. Please, Kenshin, leave, I´m really tired"   
Kenshin looked at her but turned around and went away.   
  
   Kaoru went back to sleep and when she woke up,   
she had forgotten everything about the dream.   
She went down for breakfast but no one was there.

    Kaoru made some breakfast thinking Kenshin and Yahiko probably had went to buy some rice.   
  
She wondered where they had got the money   
from. At half past ten, Kenshin came back with rice. Yahiko had   
went to Tsubame at the Akabeko.   
  
   Everything was as usual that day, except that Yahiko didn´t come home   
for lunch, well, it _was_ Kaoru´s turn to cook so maybe it wasn´t _that_  
out of the ordinary.   
   Kenshin did the laundry, Sanosuke was chewing on his fishbone and   
Kaoru was out teaching at other dojos to get some money.   
  
~~~~~~~~   
  
   As Kaoru went home, she saw Yahiko and two ugly men walking   
beside him. He looked...trapped, there´s no better way to say it.   
When he saw Kaoru he looked down on his feet and looked ashamed   
of himself.   
  
   Kaoru saw this and looked up at the men who   
held one gun each, pointing at Yahiko. Both of them had a sword and a dagger attached to their sides.   
  
   Kaoru gasped and the men looked up to see who made the sound.   
"It´s Battousai´s woman!" one said in a cold, dark voice.   
"Yes, much better than this child" the other responded.   
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, what do you think. Its my first fanfic so please be kind in your reviews.

Tell me if you want me to continue with the story, or if I should drop it.


	2. Kidnapped

Disclaimer: I don´t own any of these persons (except for the ugly men *sweatdrop*, and now I own the handsome one too ((Hayashi Kunio))*jumping with joy* ^_^;;;;) Please don´t sue. Haven´t got any money anyways.

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous chapter.

~~~~~~~~~~

Kaoru looked up at the men, they held one gun each at Yahiko and they both had a

sword and a dagger attached to their sides.

Kaoru gasped and the men looked up to see who made the sound. 

  
"It´s Battousai´s woman!" one said in a cold, dark voice.   
"Yes, much better than this child" the other responded. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 2.

Kidnapped.****

~~~~~~~~~~

One gun was held against Yahiko's head.

"Woman, if you don´t want to see this kid's head be blown off, I

suggest you come over here.

Kaoru thought about her options for a second but decided the safest thing

to do was to go to them.

She approached the men. One of them grabbed her around 

her neck with one of his hands, and with the other he pointed his gun at her back

The other man threw Yahiko away and said:

  "You'll go get Battousai and tell him that we've got his woman!"

Yahiko looked helplessly at Kaoru, noticing that her eyes were completely calm.

Yakiko began to back away, not wanting to leave Kaoru with the kidnappers.

The man that held Kaoru fired the gun he held against her to make Yahiko move and to show him they were serious. Kaoru's legs bent under her as she lost counsciousness.

and the only thing that held her up was the man's arm around her neck.

   "KAORU!" Yahiko screamed

   "You, kid, go to Battousai and tell him to come to the well at midnight. If he comes earlier, 

or later, we'll kill kono ama. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Yahiko ran away from the horror behind him.

'They shot her! I can´t believe they shot her. She's dead. NO! She's

NOT! But, what if? NO! She won't die, she CAN'T die

Once he got to the dojo, he saw Kenshin doing the laundry.

"Daijoubu de gozaru ka, Yahiko-dono." Kenshin asked with his rurouni smile.

"Hai, I'm fine, but Kaoru's not."

Kenshin looked up, only to see tears forming in Yahiko's eyes.

"Sessha would like to know what's happened to Kaoru-dono, de gozaru"

~~~~~~~~~~

Kaoru came back to conciousnesss. 

She was lying down. It took her a second or two to remember where

she was and she suddenly felt a stabbing pain in her side. She tried to

move her hands to touch the wound but realized that they were tied behind her back.

Kaoru then heard a noise behind her.  It was a boy, around nineteen years old, she guessed.

It wasn't one of her kidnappers,she was sure of that.

No, this was a young handsome boy with brown hair and forest-green eyes.

He bent his head as he saw that she was watching him. 

   "Er... I'm sorry about... er... the...wound... my brother gave you...and...well... 

I thought I could take care of it for you." He hastily looked up at her but turned 

away from her gaze at once.

Kaoru hesitated.

'He seems to be kind enough, but can I trust him? 

He looks a lot stronger than me and he can probably overtake me 

pretty easily.

He can probably do that even if I don't let him take care of the  wound.

And, let's face it, I'll probably die if no one takes care of it.'

She took a deep breath.

   "Please, take care of it,but don't do anything else, all right?"

The boy looked relieved and sat down next to Kaoru as

he started to attend to the wound.

~~~~~~~~~~

"NANI de gozaru ka!" Kenshin yelled.

Yahiko had just told him what the kidnappers had done to Kaoru

Kenshin was on his feet and running towards the door and out of the dojo

before anyone could say #baka#

   "No, Kenshin." Yahiko screamed "They'll kill her if you get there

before midnight."

Kenshin froze on the spot.

`Kill her... kill her... if you. Kill her if I... How many times

haven't Kaoru been the one to suffer from MY enemies? Jin-e, Enishi...too many.'

   "Chikusho" Kenshin said out loud. "It's almost four hours till midnight." 

~~~~~~~~~~

Kaoru looked at the boy, amazed. 'He's... kind. Not at all like his brother 

His hands were soft and gentle as they bandaged her wound.

   "Done."

Kaoru looked down at his doing. It was a great work.

She heard a sound behind her.

   "Back away from the abazureonna, Kunio-kun, we´re going to have some fun with her. Hehe..."

The man took two steps towards Kaoru, she dragged herself away from

him but he was next to her in a second. He took a hold of her arm

and drew her up to his face.

   "Are you afraid of me, bitch? Are you? You should be." He said and threw her at the wall.

~~~~~~~~~~

   "Che, Kenshin. It'll do no good if you don't eat" Sanosuke said, chewing on his fishbone.

"You can't help Jou-chan if you're hungry...and I'm starving here..." he muttered.

   "So, what you're saying is that you want me to make food for you, right"

he said with a rurouni smile that fooled no one.

   "Aa, that's exactly what I'm saying. You won't be able to do anything till midnight anyway.

There's still one hour left. You might as well cook me something to eat."

Kenshin silently cooked some rice for

the former fighter-for-hire.

The rurouni unsheathed his sakabattou and inspected it carefully.

It gave off a faint glow in the light from the lantern.

"I'm going now" he said and his eyecolour flickered dangerously between violet blue and amber gold.

~~~~~~~~~~

Japanese words:

Kono ama: This bitch

Daijoubu: Are you all right?

Sessha: I, Kenshin style.

Nani: What?

Baka: Idiot

Chikusho: Damn it

Abazureonna: Bitch

Sakabattou: Kenshin's revearsed blade sword 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Second chapter done... *Phew*

I'd like to thank those who has read and reviewed and those who's read but not reviewed. 

And a special thank to my beta-reader, Nemi. You´re great. Please, read her story Invisible. It's great.


	3. Saved

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin-gumi. Please don't sue. Haven't got any money anyways.   
  
  
@@: indicates beginning and end of flashback

~~~~~~~~~~~   
Previous chapter:   
~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

  
  
   The rurouni unsheated his sakkabatou and inspected it carefully.   
It gave of a faint glow in the light of the lantern,   
                                                                                
"I'm going now" he said and his eyecolour flickered dangerously between 

violet blue and amber gold.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Chapter 3.   
Saved.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
  
Kaoru was lying on the cold floor, coughing blood. Two men were   
standing only a few feet away from her, a third one was standing by the   
door. His eyes were big in fright and disgust.   
The head was bowed as if he thought:   
'If I can't see it, it isn't happening.'   
  


"Tasukete" Kaoru said weakly "... tasukete"   
The men came closer. One took a hold of her arm and drew her to her feet.   
He started to undress her.   
Kaoru struggled to get free but the man only took a tighter grip around her.   
He took a hold of her waist and pressed her against him. He gave her a rough kiss   
and threw her back on the floor.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
  
Kenshin ran through the forest, towards the well.   
  
'They'll kill her if I get there before midnight. I'll just have to wait. I 

can't let'em kill her. I LOVE her. Chikusho...It'll be my fault if they kill her.

I'll never be able to live like that. I've already got too much blood on my 

hands, I don't need her blood too. I can't let her be in danger anymore.'   
  


Kenshin looked up. He was standing in the forest, looking at the well when he

heard a thud and a loud scream.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~   
  


  
Kaoru was pinned down on the floor by two strong hands. 

"Kazuma, go and guard the door so that Battousai doesn't come by"  

the man over her said with a evil grin attached to his lips.   
"Hai, Hayashi-sama"   
  
Hayashi once again locked his attention on Kaoru.                                

His hand began on her cheek, then moved to her soft lips, touching   
them with one of his fingers. The hand moved again, towards Kaoru's left brest.   
It found it and he roughly started to play with her nipple.

"Yameru"  a hoarse voice said from the shadows.

The hand stopped dead in the motion and the man threw Kaoru away.   
"What did you say, just now" Hayashi said to the youngster   
"I... I said..." Hayashi's younger brother started to gather his courage.

"I said YAMERU"

"You did now, did you? Let me get this straight, you wanna die an early 

death, is that it? Well, I CAN help you with that one!" the man said and 

unsheathed his dagger.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
  
  
Kenshin ran towards the cabin, all logic had left his head as he heard the   
terrified scream of the woman he loved. His eyes now had the bright colour of 

gold in them, showing he had to give all of his mind into the battle   
between the rurouni and the battousai.   
A man was outside, standing guard.   
Suddenly, the man was lying on the ground, blood coming out of his mouth.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
  
Kaoru opened her eyes, the young man was lying on the floor with a   
dagger pointing out of his chest. She narrowed her eyes as she thought she 

saw something through the door. 'Must've been my imagination.' she 

thought. She moved slightly and groaned as the pain in her side reminded 

her she was still alive.   
  
  
The man on the floor raised his arm, towards his brother.   
"Onii-sama. Why...?" The arm fell back on the floor.   
The eyes were wide- opened, already starting to get the dim colour of death.   
To the end they showed his sadness, those unbelieving eyes.

  Hayashi bent down over his brother with pain in his eyes.   
He withdrew the dagger from the cheast of his younger sibling   
and began to clean it absently while looking down at Kunio.   
"I wouldn't have done it if you wouldn't have interfered. It's your   
own fault...you're own fault..." His eyes were big in panic.

   
He was breathing heavily, then he - laughed, a mad, choking laugh.   
  
Kaoru saw a dizzy figure amongst the shadows. She immediately   
recognized it as Kenshin.   
Before the laughing man knew what hit him he too was lying on the floor   
next to his brother with a long wound across his chest.   
  
'They'll live' Kenshin thought as he turned to Kaoru.   
She had once again lost conciousness.   
His eyes had returned to the violet- blue colour.   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
  
"Yahiko, give me that knife, and go get Sano and Kenshin" Megumi   
said with a hurried voice.   
"Hai" Yahiko said and handed the doctor the knife. He put the lantern down,   
next to Kaoru's head and ran out to get Sano and Kenshin.   
  
  
@@   
  
Yahiko had been the first to run to meet Kenshin.   
He was holding Kaoru in a tight grip in his arms, tears running,   
down his cheeks.   
"Get Megumi- dono" was all he said but it was enough for Yahiko,   
and he ran.   
  
@@   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
  
"Sano, Kenshin, Megumi- sensei needs you" Yahiko yelled when he saw   
the two men. They rose and went in to the dark room.   
"Hold her arms and legs down ´cause this is gonna hurt" Megumi said   
and as soon as the man held Kaoru's limbs pinned down on the floor she   
started with the operation.   
Sanosuke looked away from the sight in front of him.   
  
  
@@   
  
He was sitting on the porch, minding his own business when Kenshin   
came through the gate- door, carrying a motionless Kaoru. Yahiko ran up to   
Kenshin and hurried away again. 'To get the fox...' Sano chilly thought.   
Sano slowly rose from his place and went up to Kenshin.   
"Chikusho, Jou- chan" he said with affection in his voice. "What have you 

done? Can't you keep yourself out of trouble. Jou- chan? JOU- CHAN? Why 

the hell won't you answer me?"   
Kenshin had only kept on walking with tears running down from his eyes.   
As Sanosuke looked at Kenshin's back, those fucking tears started to fill   
his eyes too. 'She's not dead, is she?'   
  
@@   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
  
Sanosuke chuckled and Kenshin looked angrily up on him. Sanosuke only   
laughed harder thinking that at least she wasn't dead.   
'What a fool!' Kenshin thought angrily.   
"ARGHHHH!"   
The two men really had to struggle to keep Kaoru to the floor as Megumi   
was taking the bullet out from the girl's body.   
  
  
@@   
  
Kenshin's heart stopped as he saw Kaoru half- naked on the floor with   
blood coming out from her mouth... blood coming out from her wound.   
Blood, it was covering the floor beneath her.   
He wrapped the top of his gi around her. He took her in his arms and   
hugged her, never wanted to let her go again, but he knew he eventually would   
have to. But not now... not then. He lifted her up and started to run to the dojo   
with tears running, unstopped, down his cheeks.   
  
@@   
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
  
It was only in the crack of dawn and Kenshin was completely awake   
in his room, packing.   
'Kaoru will be fine, as long as I'm not around' he thought. 'I must leave or   
someone,or something, else will endanger her life'   
He threw the bag over his shoulder and looked around in his room. There   
was no sign that anyone had ever lived there. He went out from the house to   
the big yard, looked around and kept the place of every thing in his memory.   
He opened the gate, went out on the street, turned and closed it again.   
"I'll always remember you, Kaoru, but I'll never be able to return.   
It's for your own good" he said quietly to the gate.   
The man who once again was a rurouni turned and followed the lead of his heart. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  


Japanese words:

Tasukete: help

Chikusho: damn

  
Hai: yes

Yameru: stop

Onii-sama: brother

Jou- chan: missie (something Sano always says to Kaoru.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


  
AN: So. What do you think everybody. Please review. Reviews make me happy ^_^   
I can stop at this if you don't like it.   
And... I mentioned my beta- reader in the last chapter... She has changed her name to Nemi Genn.   
  


  
  



	4. Leaving

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin-gumi. Please don't sue. Haven't got any money anyways.   
  
Author's notes: I'm really sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out.

I haven't got any excuses.... except that my father always steals the computer....  
                      

 ~~~~~~~~~~~   
Previous chapter:   
~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

  
  "I'll always remember you, Kaoru, but I'll never be able to return.   
It's for your own good" he said quietly to the gate.   
The man who once again was a rurouni turned and followed the lead of his heart. 

  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~

   
Chapter 4.

Leaving  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  


   'Looking up, a black ceiling,   
down, a black floor,   
looking left, a black wall,   
right, another black wall,   
a third black wall,   
and a fourth,   
  
no door, no window,   
no way out...   
wait.... an opening

A way out....   
  
 She looked at her hands,

 A sword, a bloodstained sword. Why...?   
  
   She looked down again, 

Bodies, motionless bodies. Why...? 

  
   Closing her eyes, opening them, closing again, opening...   
The bodies is still there.   
Is it real...?

Are they real...?'

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Kaoru quickly sat up in her bed.

'That dream again... How can that be? It can't be true...'

Kaoru snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a noise 

and then a door opened. She rose from her bed only to see who

was up in the crack of dawn. 

   'No Kenshin, no. You can't leave, not again, not without me.'

   Kaoru put her gi on and ran out but Kenshin was already gone.

   'No Kenshin, you can't do this against me, not _now'_

   Kaoru sunk to her knees and let the tears flow for a long time 

When no more tears could come she went to her room. 

She had decided what to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~

   Yahiko woke up and went to the kitchen as always.

Yahiko got a surprise as he entered the room.

   'Where's Kenshin'

   "Kenshin" he called "Kenshin"

   As no answer was heard he went to Kenshin's room.

   "Oi, Kenshin, it's time to wake up" he said and opened the door 

only to get another surprise

   'Damn, has he left again?' he thought.

   The worried boy immediately ran to Kaoru's room and listened to 

hear if any sound came from Kaoru's room... It didn't and that 

could mean two things.

   'Either she is still sleeping.... if not, she has committed suicide' 

Yahiko thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~

   Kaoru had packed everything of importance and had left her house, 

trusting Yahiko... and Sanosuke to take care of everything until she 

returned with Kenshin.

   Now, she was looking on the ground searching for any sign, any 

footstep any piece of evidence that Kenshin had been there, but she 

could find none. 

   'No footsteps. None from Kenshin at least. He's shoes are broke 

and his left one should leave a little triangle-shaped mark. There'

   She bent down to look at the mark. It was from Kenshin all right... 

pointing towards Kyoto.

'Well then' she Kaoru thought 'Kyoto it is'

~~~~~~~~~~

   "CHIKUSHO, Kenshin, AND jou- chan? What the hell do they 

think they're playing at??

Especially jou- chan, her wounds haven't even healed yet. She could 

drop dead any second if its like that." an outraged Sanosuke yelled and 

turned to face Yahiko

   "You know what we have to do, right?"

   Yahiko had been exploring the ground inch for inch during Sano's 

little speech and now raised his head to look at the former 

fighter- for- hire.

   "Hai, I know"

~~~~~~~~~~

   'Too many memories, too many deaths, caused by me, by my hands. 

Too many memories, from people slain by my hands'

@@

   He was in a dark alley, holding the already bloodstained sword in his 

hands, his breathing was slow, calm for a man who had just killed. 

He was standing in a fighting- position even thought everybody 

around him were dead

   Another alley, another day, same stance, dead people around him. 

But one person, one enemy was still alive.

   Both of them waiting for the other to make the first move, 

the first mistake. As the enemy moved his foot an inch the red- haired 

samurai charged. He had the advantage, he had caught his enemy in a 

corner and he was faster... He quickly drew the sword, slashed and 

stopped with his back against the other man's. Amber- gold eyes 

looking straight ahead, waiting for something, forest- green eyes 

looking out in the space, wide- opened, and he fell to the ground.

@@

   Kenshin shook his head to get rid of the bad memories. 

The only memories he wanted to keep were the ones of Kaoru, 

but his mind kept racing back to the ones from his days as a Battousai 

back in Kyoto.

   'These people didn't deserve it. I can't even count how many women 

I have hurt by killing their husbands, how many children I have maid 

cry by killing their father's...

No, I can't think like that, I'm a rurouni, I'll never kill again.... 

But, does it make up for my past?

It doesn't really, does it?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~

   "Oi, tori- atama. Do you have any idea where we are? At all?"

   "Che, of course I do" Sanosuke answered, "We're right here 

and we're going towards Kyoto. Couldn't be easier" he said and 

started to march away from Yahiko.

   "Oi, tori- atama" Yahiko yelled with laughter in his voice 

"You're going in the wrong direction. Kyoto is that way" he said 

and pointed in the opposite direction to where Sano was going.

   "Che, I knew that" Sanosuke muttered and turned, only to leave 

Yahiko with the packing

~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Kaoru was standing outside of a big house in Kyoto, she knocked 

on the door and it slid open.

   "Kaoru- san" an excited voice called out. 

   "Misao- chan" Kaoru said hurriedly. "I need to come inside. 

Can I borrow your bath? It feels like I haven't been completely 

clean for a year."

   Misao got big eyes as Kaoru just clamped in to the house 

but didn't say anything.

   "Hai. You go change in my room and I'll get that bath ready for u."

   "Arigatou, Misao-chan."

   While lying in the bath Kaoru thought about the time when 

Kenshin had come rushing in. He thought she was trying to kill herself 

at that time. 

   Kaoru lowered her head beneath the surface, only 2 come back up 

again after a couple of seconds.

   'I so wish that Kenshin would rush through that door'

   After Kaoru was done, she went to talk with Misao. 

   They sat down and Kaoru told Misao everything, from the beginning 

up to the point where they now were. She told him about the kidnappers, 

about how Kenshin had left her in the crack of dawn.

   "I love him Misao- chan." Kaoru said while tears filling her eyes, 

threatening to fall down her cheeks if she spoke more. "I love him, and 

I won't let him run away from me like this"

   Misao leaned forward to hug Kaoru and she held her like that until the 

friends sobs had softened.

   The door suddenly slid open and Aoshi came in.

   "Aoshi- sama." Misao said

   "Misao- san, Kaoru- san" Aoshi answered in his usual cold way. 

"I'm not surprised to see you here, since I saw Himura a while ago"

   "You met Kenshin?" Kaoru almost jumped with joy. "Where was he...? 

Where was he going...?

    "I never said I met him, Kaoru- san. I only saw him, but he was going 

away from Kyoto.  He was going west."

   "Great, leaving again." Kaoru said but immediately cheered up. 'At least 

I've found him again' she thought. "Thank you, Misao- chan, Aoshi- san" 

she said, grabbed her packing and she was off. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

   "Oi, tori- atama, we're in Kyoto. We made it even though you got us 

lost half the time," Yahiko said evilly.

   "Urusai, Yahiko- chan!" Sanosuke responded.

   "Don't call me chan, tori- atama."

   "I won't, as soon as you stop calling me tori- atama, Yahiko- CHAN"

   "Stop calling me chan, you…!" here Yahiko trailed off as he had started 

to bite on Sanosuke's head.

   Sanosuke knocked the kid away from his head and he flew a couple 

of meters. Sano was just waiting for the kid to come back from behind 

the bushes, but he didn't.

   "Oi, Yahiko- chan, will you get back here or what?"

   "Er… tori- atama, I think you better come over here," a worried voice 

came from behind the bushes.

   "Che, what's the matter now. You're too tired to walk…?" his voice 

stopped as he saw two boys instead of one.

   One was Yahiko, covered in dirt and mud. The other one was 

covered in dirt, mud and _blood_. Sanosuke guessed he was about 

ten years old.

   "You have to save my sister" the boy said in a hoarse voice.

So, here it is… 

Never thought I'd actually write it.

But now I have written… and posted it too hopefully…^_^

So…don't forget the review everybody…J

-yaruna


	5. Meetings

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin-gumi. Please don't sue. Haven't got any money anyways.   
  


Author's notes: Haven't really got anything to say. just don't wanna make this look so blank as it would without the author's notes...:P ok. I'm just babbling here.^_^;; On with the story.

And by the way. I have decided to finish this thing, no matter how many dislikes it. like my beta-reader.^_^;; *sigh* and I who thought beta-readers were supposed to support the writer. let's all kill my beta-reader. *Jumps at Nemi with a knife*

 ~~~~~~~~~~~   
Previous chapter:   
~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"Er. tori- atama, I think you better come over here," a worried voice came from behind the bushes.

   "Che, what's the matter now. You're too tired to walk.?" his voice stopped as he saw two boys instead of one.

   One was Yahiko, covered in dirt and mud. The other one was covered in dirt, mud and _blood_. Sanosuke guessed he was about ten years old.

   "You have to save my sister," the boy said in a hoarse voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

   
Chapter 5.

Meetings.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  


Deafening screams, 

She turns around.

Runs down,

Stairs, long stairs.

A door; grey.

Looking up, a black ceiling, 

Down, a black floor, 

Looking left, a black wall, 

Right, another black wall, 

A third black wall, 

A fourth, 

The sound of a key, 

in a keyhole, 

being turned.

  
  
no door, no window,   
no way out...   
wait.... an opening

A way out....   
  
 She looked at her hands,

 A sword, a bloodstained sword. Why...?   
  
   She looked down again, 

Bodies, motionless bodies. Why...? 

  
   Closing her eyes, opening them, closing again, opening...   
The bodies are still there.   
Is it real...?

Are they real...?'

   Kaoru woke up. She was shaking.

    "No, I've already told you. I'd _never _hold a real sword. I'd never kill someone. Why isn't Kenshin here? He should be here. He was always so kind, always so gentle. I long for his hands, so strong but yet so. No, I mustn't say like this. I make it sound like he's already dead."

~~~~~~~~~~~

   A few miles away, Kenshin sneezed. He was hiding behind a bush, listening to two men talking.

   "I've lost the redhead," a cold voice said. "He's too fast."

   "All right. What about the Kamiya girl?" another voice said.

   Kenshin gasped and leaned forwards to hear better.

   "I'm following her. She was in Kyoto the other day. Let me kill her. She was the reason that your brother died."

   "No. Don't kill her, not yet. Did you get to the other girl?"

   "Yes, a couple of days ago. I have her in that hut over there."

   Kenshin leaned forwards to hear what they said, and lost his balance. He fell right in the bush.

   The two men raised their heads and went towards the noise.

   "So, what have we got here if not the little redhead? Come and meet our other guest."

~~~~~~~~~~~

   Sanosuke was looking at the boys.

   'I can't believe this' he thought. 'Just my luck to meet someone who needs my help when I'm actually looking for jou- chan. Just my luck.'

   "Please, help me."  the young boy said. He looked better now. He had black hair and brown, pleading eyes. Yahiko had lent the boy some clothes so he wasn't as dirty now as he was before.

   "Please, help my sister."

   "Maa, maa. Calm down." Sanosuke said with the fishbone hanging out of his mouth. "What's happened to her?"

   "Well, I used to live in Maizuru with my oneesama. My parents are dead and she is my only living relative. At least I hope she is. Alive, I mean. Two days ago a man came in to our house. He had brown hair and, if you ask me, he was really ugly. Anyway, I tried to stop him, but he kidnapped my sister.

@@

   He woke up to the sound of steps on the roof. A window broke and a man climbed in. He had brown hair. The man went to the door, slid it open and went through the dark corridor. He followed the man to his sister's room. The man went in.

   'What's he going to do with my sister,' the boy had been thinking and was suddenly standing in front of the man.

   "Get out of my way, brat!" he said and threw the boy into the wall. Blood. 

   The boy rose and went forward.

   "You should leave my sister alone," he heard himself say.

   "Feh. What're you gonna do to stop me? Now. Get. Out. Of. My. Way!" the man said and gave the boy a punch, sending him back into the wall. Blood.

   His sister woke up.

   "What's happening?"

   She noticed her brother, eyes widened. She noticed the man, eyes widened. He grabbed her around the waist, jumping out of the window.

   "IEEE! Oneesama!" the boy screamed and started to cry, and when tears could no longer flow, he rose, dead calm:

   "I'll never forgive you. I'll kill you"

@@

   "It's okay, kid," Sanosuke said. "We'll find your sister."

   Yahiko looked up at Sano with a surprised look on his face. 'He'll help him, before we've found Kaoru.'

   "SANOSUKE, YAHIKO!!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~

   Kaoru was walking along the forest when she heard a boy cry. She was just about to go to him when another boy came flying into the bushes.

    'Oh, I guess they'll fix whatever is the problem. I'd just be in the way.'

   She continued but stopped after a while.

    'I.I.recognized that boy.'

   She quickly turned around and ran back.

   'It was Yahiko, it was Yahiko. What is he doing here? It was Yahiko.'

   "SANOSUKE, YAHIKO!!!" she yelled as soon as she could see their backs.

   "SANO, YAHIKO!!! What are you two doing here?" Kaoru started and then looked down on the boy.

   She sat down on knee and brushed some hair from his face.

   "What's your name?

   The kid looked at her with big eyes.

   "I'm. I'm. Momo.

   "What's happened to you??" Kaoru calmly asked.

   After she had heard the boy's story she made the hardest decision of her life up to that point.

   "We'll. we'll find your sister" she said.

   'I'll find Kenshin to, but this kid needs his sister. Kenshin can take care of himself. But I need him. need him so much.'

   Kaoru sighed and covered her face in a look of determination.

   "Ok. Where to start?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

   Kenshin let himself be taken into the hut where he saw a young, black-haired woman. She was sitting in a corner, staring at nothing.

As she noticed the men enter she tried to crawl away, get away from them. Kenshin looked at her with his beautiful, blue eyes, trying to see what had happened to her.

   The men threw Kenshin in so that he stumbled and fell on his face. They hadn't even dared to take his reversed blade sword away from him.

   "Watashi wa Kenshin, de gozaru." Kenshin said to the girl in the corner with a big smile on his face.

   The girl looked up at him, the sadness in her eyes. The kind of look on someone that can't cry no more.

   "Please," she said silently. "Please, get us out from here, get us away from this place,"

   "Don't worry, de gozaru. We can easily get out."

   The girls eyes lid up. A fraction of hope was seen. She suddenly had something to hold on to, something to reach for.

   She was from Maizuru, not far away, but approximately five hours from where they now were. She had said she had to get home by tomorrow. She had debts, and her brother was still there. They would easily be able to get to her brother and kill him if she wasn't there or didn't have the money.

   Kenshin had thought about this for merely a second and then said:

   "You have the money, de gozaru ka?"

   "Yes, but my brother doesn't know where."

   " I understand, de gozaru yo. When do these two come in here the next time, de gozaru ka?"

    "The man who kidnapped me usually comes in at night, and in the morning."

    They waited a long time for the door into the small hut to open, but it remained closed.

   "You might as well get some sleep, de gozaru." Kenshin said but the woman did not hear him, since she was already asleep.

   Kenshin smiled and leaned his back against the wall, closing his eyes but still ready to wake up and fight if it would be necessary.

~~~~~~~~~~~

   Kaoru woke up, noticing it was still dark. She was not sleepy so she took her packing and went down to the river. So dark, the moon's reflection was just barely seen on the water. There were no stars on the sky, just the moon and the darkness, which left the girl to feel depressed, but still, in a strange way, happy. Her sad eyes looked out over the dark water, seeing the moon's reflection as a head, a cross-shaped scar breaking the smoothness of the sight.

   She kept thinking about that one, her loved one, her Kenshin, till the sun had risen. She slowly went back towards the camp and realized that she had no idea where it had been.

   'Oh, no.' she thought. 'I'm just as bad as Sano, if not worse.' She let out a small sound and continued her search.

   After a short time she found it, but no one was there. 'Oh, well. They'll probably come back in a while.'

    Kaoru sat down on a log and waited. 'They've already left.' she thought. 'That's just great. It's not _that _hard to wait.'

   She rose and started walking in the direction where they, the previous day had said they were going, towards Maizuru.

~~~~~~~~~~~

   "Was it really right that all us of left the camp to look for Kaoru, tori- atama?" Yahiko said. "Shouldn't one of us have staid? Just in case."

   Sanosuke looked down at the boy. He sometimes got surprised that he could be smart at times. But he couldn't admit it so his answer was:

   "No, we shouldn't leave each other sides at this moment."

   Yahiko hesitated but shrugged and kept walking.

~~~~~~~~~~~

   In another place of the forest, a red-haired samurai was seen with a beautiful black-haired lady. They seemed to be running away from something. Everybody kept out of their way, hence many stories were created around this, and many of them were about a samurai and his beloved one that ran away from the lady's enraged parents. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Yup, yup. Try not to kill me out of rage.

I know this chapter was lame 

Be nice in your reviews, onegai shimasu...:P

-yaruna

  
  



	6. Dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin-gumi. Please don't sue. Haven't got any money anyways.  
  


Author's notes: I only have one thing to say. I have no beta-reader!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!! My last 1 gave up all hope on me :P

Blame me if it's bad spelling... well... blame my teachers actually :P

 ~~~~~~~~~~~  
Previous chapter:  
~~~~~~~~~~~~

   "Was it really right that all us of left the camp to look for Kaoru, tori- atama?" Yahiko said. "Shouldn't one of us have staid? Just in case."

   Sanosuke looked down at the boy. He sometimes got surprised that he could be smart at times. But he couldn't admit it so his answer was:

   "No, we shouldn't leave each other sides at this moment."

   Yahiko hesitated but shrugged and kept walking.

* * *

  


   
Chapter 6.

Dreams.

  


* * *

  


   'Deafening screams.

A stair, long, stairs.

A door, grey

Black ceiling, black floor, black doors.

Trapped.

A key, scratching in a keyhole.

Darkness.

No door, no window.

No escape.

Trapped.

Darkness.

In her hands, a sword.

Sparkling.

No way out.

Brightness.

Opening.

Sword.

Kill.

Death.

Darkness.'

   Kaoru shook her head violently to get the dream out from her head. She had fallen asleep outside a big mansion. An old man was standing above her, looking down.

   "Would miss like to come in and wash her face?" he said.

   Kaoru was shocked at hearing someone above her, but looked up at the man and said that she would gladly come in. The two big doors easily opened as the man touched them, and they stepped in.

   "Would you wish for some tea?" the gentleman asked her politely. And even if Kaoru understood that the man wanted her to get out as soon as possible she answered yes. 'He only have himself to blame' she thought. 'He asked, now he has to live with it.'

   The man nodded and said: "There's the bathroom. Wash up!"

   Kaoru slowly went in the direction to where the man had nodded, thinking; 'Kenshin. I miss you so. Please let us meet again.'

* * *

  


   The red-haired samurai and the lady were now standing in front of a great mansion.

   "This is where I live," the girl said, went up the stairs and opened the doors.

   As soon as Kenshin stepped in he felt something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

   "I have to find my brother." Saka said. "I'll tell niisan to get you something to drink."

   "That isn't necessary, de gozaru…" Kenshin said but his voice trailed of in the end as the girl was already gone.

   He sat down, waiting for the woman to return or for the so-called niisan to bring him something to drink, and hopefully also some information.

   He jumped up because of a sudden noise from the door and immediately got into a fighting position. After seeing who came in, he relaxed a little.

   "Kenshin" the man with the symbol "wicked" on his back screamed.

   The, for Kenshin un-known boy looked insecure as he saw the samurai and the little boy, also called Yahiko, had his eyes wide open in surprise.

   They all slowly got past the shock from seeing each other and they all, except for the still un-known boy, sat down. The boy quietly said to Kenshin:

   "How did you get here? Why are you here?"

   Kenshin thought for a second and answered.

   "A woman led me here, de gozaru. She was in great concern of her brother and needed to find him before he got killed. Therefore she needed my help to get here as fast as possible, de gozaru yo."

   The boy seemed happy with this explanation and asked:

   "Is she here, in this building, right now?"

   "Hai, de gozaru" Kenshin answered.

   The boy ran away from the group to search for his sister.

* * *

  


   Kaoru had washed up and was on her way back, so she heard a low sound. Like a scream, coming from the basement. Kaoru started walking towards this sound. She opened the door that was leading to a stair, down to the cellar. She heard the scream again, stronger. It seemed to be enforced ((A/N: can that b used...don't even really know if it means the right thing….)) at least a hundred times by the echo.

Deafening screams.

Thundering through her ears.

Never ending

Never stopping. 

   She got scared, wanted to run away, wanted to escape. An invisible force dragged her down. Leading, dragging, pushing. But she was going down and that was all that mattered,

A stair, long stairs

A door, grey

Go in! 

   The grey door in front of her, the long stairs behind her. Everything matched.

   'No, don't think like this. It's useless. There is no point in thinking like this.'

   Once again she heard the scream, now very close to her. She opened the door and took one step in. It was dark, nothing could be seen. Another step, nothing changed. A third step, but it was still to dark to be able to make anything out. The only source of light was the door, barely open.

The sound of a door

Closing.

The sound of a key

In the door

Trapped.

Darkness. 

   Suddenly everything was dark. She heard something like a key being turned around in a lock.

   'No, no. This can't be happening. There is no way. No way.'

   She started to look around for something. She was walking along the walls, trying to feel something. Trying to find a way out. All she noticed was that it took ages for her to get to the first corner. When she was there, she went along the other wall, which wasn't quite as long. She kept doing this till she was back where she started. She had felt two doors, both of them were locked.

   Her eyes slowly started to get used to the dark and she saw that something was creating a slightly darker spot on the wall.

In her hands, a sword.

No way out.

Suddenly came brightness.

An opening.

Sword.

Kill.

Death.

Darkness. 

   She screamed, a long, drawn-out, desperate scream. She felt something dragging her towards the subject on the wall which now had started to sparkle. She fell down on her knees, she tried to resist, she used her last powers on resisting, and she had no more to give.

* * *

  


   The kidnappers knew where everybody was. Even where the Kamiya girl was. Yes, they had their own ways of finding things out, gathering information.

   They were in the basement of the house, as they heard another scream. It seems like a torture chamber down there. They were trying to figure out how to get past the samurai and take the women.

   Another scream, more tortured than the rest. They thought, better hurry this up as they saw three persons running past their hiding place.

* * *

  


   They were running. Yahiko screamed:

   "Kenshin, what is it? What's wrong?"

   "That scream, was the scream of Kaoru- dono, de gozaru." Kenshin panted.

   "Chikusho. Why can't she keep away from trouble? Baka, jou- chan." Sano said and fastened his pace. ((A/N: eeeeeh.... can u even say that o0))

   They were suddenly facing a dead-end. Stone walls.

   "Chikusho." Sanosuke breathed. "Now what?"

   'Kaoru is in there. I have to get to her, help her, this is all my fault. If I wouldn't have left…' Kenshin thought and said:

   "Sano, your Futae no Kiwame."

   "Yes, of course." Sano hit his fist into the wall. It broke in an instant and suddenly two dark figures came running past them, into the room where Kaoru was.

* * *

  


  She had failed, she knew it. It was useless. She held the sword in her hands knowing what was to come, but she didn't care anymore. 'Just get it over with.' She was standing with her face towards the long side that didn't have a door. Her eyes slowly shifted to yellow, then golden.

   As in a daze, she saw the wall falling, she saw the two men running in and she knew what to do, and how to do it. It was as if her whole life had been leading up to this moment, this exact moment.

   She ran at the first man, and put the sword through his chest. She pulled it out and in a fluid motion turned around so that the sword nicely cut the other man's head off.

   The adrenaline had been pumping through her veins for these few seconds that it had taken her to kill these men, but now she felt completely drained out.

   The bloodstained sword was dropped to the ground. The tears, which not even she herself had noticed, were running down her cheeks. The legs bent under her, and for the second time that day, she fell on knees. She was staring out at empty space, not a thought in her mind.

   Kenshin, Yahiko and Sanosuke were staring at her. The pain in their eyes came from the knowledge of the Kamiya dojo's princips.  The promise Kaoru had made, just by being born in that family. They knew she had broken it, just by taking up the sword she had broken it.

   Kenshin was the first to get himself together and he ran up to Kaoru, holding her without getting a response. He tried to help her up, still nothing.

   "Come on Kaoru- dono. Let's go." Kenshin started to get scared. He bent down and picked the defenceless little girl up in his arms.

   "I'm sorry, Kaoru- dono."

   Still no response. Kenshin's tears were now running in streams down his cheeks.

   "I love you, Kaoru."

* * *

  


Wow…I'm actually this far.

6 chapters…

Hooray for me.

Thank you all for your support…

Ok… one chapter left…

Hope to c ya then

-yaruna


	7. Dying

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin-gumi. Please don't sue. Haven't got any money anyways.

Author's notes: This is the last chapter...:) wipes sweat drop Finally finished… Lol… I reeeeeeeeally should have posted this ages ago ;;

Previous chapter:

Kenshin was the first to get himself together and he ran up to Kaoru, holding her without getting a response. He tried to help her up, still nothing.

"Come on Kaoru- dono. Let's go." Kenshin started to get scared. He bent down and picked the defenceless little girl up in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru- dono."

Still no response. Kenshin's tears were now running in streams down his cheeks.

"I love you, Kaoru."

* * *

  
Chapter 7.

Dying.

* * *

They were in Kyoto.

When Kenshin, Sanosuke and Yahiko had come with Kaoru to Misao's house, they were all muddy, bloody and wet. Everyone but Kaoru. She was more beautiful than ever, with her pale skin, her long hair, and her wonderful eyes, that still seemed to have that colour of yellow in them. She still seemed to be far away, lost in another world, not being able to return. Kenshin was sitting next to her bed every day, trying to talk to her.

But she had killed, not one, but two persons. She could not even feel the joy of being with her long lost, newly found love. She could not forgive herself. And if she could not, how would he be able to. How would she be able to live with herself?

They chose that it would be best for Kaoru to go to the Kamiya dojo. Even though she resisted and screamed against going back home, they finally got her on the train. She spent the journey thinking about the shame she had brought upon her father. She could not return.

She looked around, and understood for the first time what was happening around her. She laughed silently at Yahiko's and Sanosuke's argument about what made the train run. Yahiko had taken over her role from the last time, and Sanosuke kept to his theory. She looked over at Kenshin who was sitting with his back against the wall of the train, his legs on the seat, leaning his head against his reverse blade sword.

She slowly rose from her seat. The argument between Yahiko and Sano came to an abrupt end. Kenshin quickly looked up at her.

"Daijoubu, Kaoru-dono?" he said.

"Hai," was her answer. "I'm fine, I just have to go to the bathroom"

She hugged Yahiko and Sanosuke and went over to Kenshin and gave him a deep, long kiss.

"I'll miss you," she whispered into his ear, and left.

Kenshin was shocked, to shocked to try and figure out what she meant.

"I'll count every second," he answered.

Kaoru kept walking, smiling softly. She got out to the back of the train, opening the door.

"Kaoru!"

She turned around, standing on her toes; her hands were the only things keeping her from an instant death underneath the train.

Kenshin was looking at her, he seemed to be frightened.

"Aishiteru, Kaoru." He said rapidly.

Kaoru merely smiled, let her hands go and screamed as falling backwards:

"Aishiteru, Kenshin!"

The only sound heard after that was the screeching from the train as it kept going, further and further away…

* * *

Yup… that was the end.

I'm sorry to all you that wanted Kenshin and Kaoru to end up together

This isn't a dream-world I guess :P

Thanks for the support.

-yaruna


End file.
